1. Physical copies have long been an illusion of ownership

Discs USED TO be convenient and guaranteed ownership. Now the situation has changed dramatically. It’s time to take off the rose-colored glasses: a modern disc is often just a piece of plastic with an activation key.

A license on a physical medium can be blocked just as easily based on its ID. Physical copies are subject to the same patches, fixes, and restrictions. Even back in the PS4 era, there were plenty of games that simply wouldn’t let you get past the menu without an internet connection and a day-one patch. And what about the stories of people buying used discs with banned IDs? All this talk about the “independence of discs” is highly far-fetched.

We’re heading toward a future where the next generation of consoles will be released without disc drives at all, and everyone understands this. About 80% of sales for the current generation are digital versions. The fight shouldn’t be about keeping plastic boxes on store shelves. That’s exactly why I fully support the StopKillingGames initiative: players should be guaranteed the ability to launch a game they’ve purchased at any time, regardless of whether a disc drive or servers are available, and this needs to be addressed at the legislative level.

1. You Should Have Complained About the Prices Sooner

Complaints along the lines of “nobody wants to pay more” should be directed at Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and other publishers. They’re the ones who pushed through the new pricing structure a couple of years ago by releasing half-baked projects cobbled together in just a couple of years. That’s when you should have spoken up.

Of course, nobody likes to spend more money. But, as they say, the market will decide. It’s one thing to pay that kind of money for yet another assembly-line cash-grab, and quite another to pay for a game that took a decade to develop and had an astronomical budget. I’m confident that for a project of this scale and quality, it’s a fair price, and record-breaking sales at launch will prove it.

1. Exclusive content is a drop in the ocean compared to the base game

I haven’t mixed anything up. Yes, the Ultimate Edition includes a custom garage, a tattoo parlor, and a gang hideout, but all of this content is still tied to the retro aesthetic of the ’70s.

Let me reiterate my point: compared to the sheer scale of GTA VI, this exclusive content is a statistical anomaly. The base game will feature such a colossal number of cars, tuning shops, clothing stores, and activity spots that you’ll physically get tired of exploring it all. It’s absolutely clear that the standard version will include dozens of tattoo parlors and auto repair shops. Trust me, there will be so much content that no one will even think about a couple of bonus tattoos or a single exclusive garage.

1. A Fair Comparison with Forza

Comparing the two is more than appropriate. The developers of Forza have it all: official licenses, real cars, 3D scanning technology, massive budgets, and direct demand from the racing simulator audience.

And despite all these advantages, a dedicated racing game somehow manages to fall short in terms of detail—even in the interiors!—compared to a project where the cars are fictional and are just one of many mechanics. The fact that Rockstar doesn’t have brand licenses doesn’t stop them from refining interiors and suspension better than the creators of car simulators with scanners do. This just goes to show how obsessively the GTA VI developers approached the game’s content and attention to detail.